The Genius and The Queen: What Fate Has Planned
Near the outskirts of Hama Town a glowing red portal opened. Out from it's swirling depths stepped forth, one was a little kid with raven black hair and the other was a teenage female with long light pink hair. Both were talking about their plan to find the Records, proof that the kid lived the life he claimed he did, an awkward tale in and of itself. "So, you sure we can do this?" the child asked. "Yes. Hama Town is kind of a safe haven for me and really anyone. Maybe Van'll have a Senkaimon access for us to borrow. I can't open one, especially after the last time I was in the Seireitei." the teen replied. "Besides, if we're getting anywhere near those Askaic Records, I would trust no one else over Van and his family." Sitting at a cafe, a purple haired woman sat a table and watched the pair enter town. "Oh? They don't seem to be from around here. Hmm...oh well. It has nothing to do with me. I think I need to get a grip on being nosy." Laughing to herself, the woman sipped a large cup of orange juice before burping loudly causing strange looks to come across the other customers. "Hehehe. Sorry about that. I er...didn't feel it coming? Just don't mind me." Myst sighed. "I'm just gonna go get directions. Lucky for us, a cafe awaits. Here's some money if you need a drink." Her childish companion spoke with some gravity to his words, gravity that belonged to someone more world-weary and powerful. "Thanks. I'm gonna to some searching cause I lost my bag around here somewhere, so do what you need to secure for us the portal." "Suit yourself kid. You have till four before I come and nab you. As for me..." Myst replied before turning and walking into the cafe. "Excuse me, does anyone know how to get to Van's place from here? It's kinda urgent." Looking up at the strange woman who walked in, the purple haired woman raised an eyebrow. "Hm? What do you need dogg-er...Van for? No one just strolls into town and asks for him unless they have a bone to pick with him. And given his history, that's an awful lot of people. Though I'm here in town to make sure people like you don't do anything to hinder him" Myst turned towards her accuser with a feeling akin to irony welling up inside her. "Careful what you say. Why would I want to hurt him? He's a friend of mine and I really need his help. Besides, I haven't seen him in a good long time. Now, you should know that you just might want to choose your next words carefully, got it?" she said casually. "Oh? Are you sure that you want throw idle threats towards a erson like little ol' me? Heh. If I were you I'd be more polite and learn to leave quietly before somethng goes terribly wrong in your general vicinity. 'Kay?" The purple haired woman smiled as she began sipping her drink. Myst was flustered by the woman's non-chalant attitude. Failing to regain her composure, she spoke before she understood her own thoughts. "I'm the Queen of bloodsuckers. You sure you want to piss me off? I can kill you in five seconds and no one could save you from losing your soul, trust me. Van should have told you never screw with a Reikon Kyuuban without a good reason." "Oh? A Reikon Kyuuban? So you mean like Atsuya then, oui? Hahaha I already know about your kind. If anything...you wouldn't know this, but Van should tell you that you should never mess with the Genius known as Tabane Alcott! That is....if you don't want to lose a limb." "Genius? Um, yeah, Van is a genius, Kujo, may he sleep in piece, was one, and don't get me started on Atsuya. Tell me, does he regret it? Becoming one of us, I mean?" Myst said, a thoughtful look in her eyes. She remembered that day as clear as any, even with the mental breakdown it had led to. She didn't regret doing it, but she felt like the whole thing was her brother's little idea gone a bit out of hand. How else would those three have known? "Van a Genius? HAHAHAHA You know...you aren't half bad for a comedian. But non, none of them ever mentioned regretting it. Though honestly I doubt they would ever admit to it even f they did. Foolish boys have too much pride. But hmm....what do you wish to see Van for? Don't think I forgot." Tabane smiled as she fnally finished her drink. "That kid I came to town with, he's looking for something that would prove everything he says. He came from a different timeline and now we need the Askaic Records, which keep track of any event, no matter what time line it occurs in. We need Van to get us in the Seireitei proper." Myst replied. "Hmm from a different timeline? Well wouldn't meeting Van cause a paradox in things? I don't think I'm liking this plan of yours the more I hear it. Hm...I believe its time you took your leave. Maybe you can find another way in 'kay?" Tabane winked before giving Myst a shooing motion. "Ok, timeline may have been the wrong word there. He more or less re-wrote time so that nobody remembers him, like he never existed. At least, that's the easy explaination for it. It's highly important that we get the Records. He can't explain it himself but he can step out of time itself to really alter anything, and the more he does, the less stable both realities become. Wow, that's confusing." Myst said, trying to find other ways to explain what would happen if events kept unraveling at the rate they are. Raising an eyebrow, Tabane smirked. "Oh? So you don't even know your own story? Hm...the more I talk to you the more it seems you are plotting something only my genius can solve. Though I wonder, how can one like you be a Reikon Kyuuban? You lack knowledge and even beauty. HAHAHA. No matter. Once you leave town I'll be sure to let Van know that you came here and let him decide on whether he helps you or not." Myst chuckled evily. "You don't want to know how I became a RK you stuck up little brat. If we weren't near innocent people, I'd love to teach you exactly what I can do as the ruler of them." "Stuck up? Brat?" Tabane slowly picked up her blade as she mae her way toward the door. "Follow me. We will defintely handle this once and for all. Hmph. Who is gonna win this, The Genius or the The Queen of Vampires?" Myst followed quietly, not answering the question, using it as a bit of pre-fight psychological warfare. She really has no clue. Why didn't Atsuya tell her never to get on my bad side? Now I'm just gonna feel guilty injuring her, poor lass. Leading Myst to a clearing near the outskirts of town, Tabane stood slently as the wind blew through the area causing her hair to flow as if pulled by the tiny hands makng up this natural occurence. "I think we both know what happens next." Tabane then drew her blde and pointed it at Myst. "You ready?" Myst gathered spiritual energy and formed her Zanpakto. "Always. I expect nothing less then your best," she started saying before moving behind Tabane with her vampiric flash-step, "otherwise, I'll kill you." she finished, resting her Zanpakto on Tabane's shoulder. "Really? Maybe you should check yourself as well." Tabane smiled as her blade rested on Myst's stomach before she pulled it up ripping the vampire queen's blouse. "I'm not called a genius for nothing you know." Myst stepped back, the blade barely ripping her clothes. She then pointed her finger at Tabane before firing a Cero-like blast, the infamous Kyūketsuki Ga Satsuei. How's she gonna escape this? she pondered. Quickly adjusting her blade to use it as a balance, Tabane heaved her own body above her weapon before performing a graceful corkscrew flip over the large blast landing behind Myst this time. "Oopsie. Look like I dazed off for a bit. The hairs on the end got singed." Tabane smiled as she touched the ends of her hair in order to put out the small flames in a comedic manner. "Now then, I suppose you may want to try some new tricks that I haven't seen. Or did you forget, that I told you that I know about people like you through Atsuya?" "Of course Atsuya told you. That guy, as smart as he is, can't remain quiet for long. Sometimes, I do question his sanity and whatnot, knowing that if knowledge about what we are ever got out in public, panic would ensue." Myst said, turning to face Tabane. "How many of our secrets did he share exactly?" "Well, let's see..." Tabane stopped and began scratching her head. "Hmm...well I know about the speed of most of the Reikon Kyuuban that he actually knows about, I know most of the various abilities that you can do as well as that Vampiric Stage thing. Though...he always refuses to show me hs for some reason." Sticking out her toungue, Tabane continued as she readied her fighting position once more. "Hehehe. I suppose you really will see why I am a genius after all." Myst laughed. "That's the best part. He and I hate revealing that form. It's something like Bankai for our bodies, draining us of blood a bit faster than what we normally lose just to function. On top of that, all Vampire Stages are completely unique. Kujo's was probably my favorite one though. Fit his personality to a t, I think he called it Cursed Law or something along those lines. He spoke, reality bent to his wishes, Atsuya's allowes him to harness his body structure in a very offensive manner, Van's was able to move through reality. Mine however, is worthless right now. You know all about what I can do. Unlike those three, I'm not very original in my Vamp Stage." she sighed, twiriling her sword in her hand. "Huh? Why would you tell me all of that?" Tabane pondered for a moment before smirking. "Oh I see. You're just trying to throw me off. Heh. I won't be falling for some simple trick like that." If only I were joking. Perhaps a demonstration should set her straight. Myst thought before she transformed, turning her hair white, her eyes red, and across her back, a haori marked with the kanji for hate and betrayal. "Told you it's not awesome, didn't I?" Seemingly with stars in her eyes, Tabane drooled at the sight of Myst's new form. "Oooooh! Not awesome!? How could you say such a thing!?" Running full speed toward Myst, Tabane began to grope her opponent in a near obsessive manner. Myst comically tried to push Tabane off, using only a fraction of her full power as not to cause any undue pain. "Don't you know what I am? If I wanted to, I could drain you like a milkshake without using my fangs. Shouldn't you be, uhh, scared or something?" "Hm? Oh yes. Sorry about that." Tabane smiled before tapping her fist atop her head. "But if you're the Queen, shouldn't you be able to access stronger powers than any other of the Reikon Kyuuban?" She questioned with an astonished look upon her face. Myst sighed. "Yes, I'm theoretically stronger, but there are limits that I refuse to cross without a reason. Not only that, but any Reikon Kyuuban move Atsuya told you about, I can do on an upgraded scale, even more so now, in this body. But otherwise, you know my moves, if he showed you the entirety of his knowledge. He knows everything I do, he's my sole remaining heir at the moment. I guess you could say he's just a child compared to me. Goodness, feels odd saying that." she said. "Watch." She pointed to a clearing a ways off and fired her Satsuei directly at it, letting her new enhancement do it's work. The explosion was rather large, creating a crater the entire span of the clearing, leaving nothing behind from the show of power. "THAT, child, is my true power." "Child?" Tabane began to roll around laughing uncontrollably before trying to speak through the broken pauses of he laughter. "Hmm...if.....that's all...you were afraid to reveal, then just cross the boundary. Because..." Appearing behind Myst once more, Tabane held her blade to the woman's neck wth dead look in her eyes. "I'll just have to kill you for holding back." Myst used Ketsueki Butoukai to get away from Tabane. When she stopped moving, they were about six or seven yards apart. "You're really desperate aren't you? You want me to destory you. Fine. Light the sky, Gesshoku." she said, revealing her Shikai, which was little more than her sword gaining a chain, which is attached to a gauge. "Oh ho ho. So this is what you had in store. Its about time you show me your true power." Charging foward, Tabane raised her blade but slightly turned it as if signaling Myst to attack her. Myst chuckled darkly. She decided to use just the basic attack her Shikai granted, not that she had a choice at that point. "Hoshi." she said, swinging her sword, creating a small fireball that zipped right at Tabane. Deflecting the fireball into the sky, Tabane was pushed back and began sliding around in almost a comedic manner. "Heh...heh. Ok....didn't see that one coming." Laughing to herself, she tapped herself on the head. Myst chuckled again. "Where's my idiot brother when I need him to shout a random obsenity regarding Bael? But besides that, I think you're actually pretty good, only two other people can survive this long against me in this form, but how long do you think, in all honesty can you keep it up?" "Honestly?" Tabane smiled. "I think I can win. But I'm more interested in you getting stronger the longer we fight." She smiledsheepishly at the Vampire Queen Myst smiled. "You know, I actually get weaker the longer I fight, that's why I had to activate Shikai, it seems to prolong the use of my current form." she admitted. Rather than wait for a reply, she slashed downwards, creating a gust of wind that was as sharp as a sword, and just about as deadly. Not ready for the sudden attack, Tabane was struck by the blade made of wind. "Urgh!" She was sent careening back into a tree with a cut in her shoulder. "No fair!! That was underhanded." She yelled as she charged Myst before jumping high into the sky and pressed herself downward like a drill. Myst didn't bother dodging the drill-like strike, she just moved so it wasn't as deadly as it could be. As the sword began cutting into her skin, she pulled away from it in instinct. "All's fair in love and war. I do think a Reikon Kyuuban coined that term, it perfectly describes us, don't you think?" she asked, turning to face Tabane once again. "How's your arm doing? You took a nasty hit." Favoring her sword arm, Tabane grinned. "Me? I'm just fine." The last of what she said was highlighted in as an obvious lie. "But don't worry, I'll be sure to put you in your place.....as soon as I think of how." "Keep thinking. You'll need all the ideas you can, although time's still on your side. Oh, and do yourself a favor, stop lying. In your current shape, I can end this AND have my mid-morning snack at the same time." "Well if that's how you truly feel...." Tabane's eyes narrowed as she began to glare at Myst and sheathed her zanpakuto. "Subjugate, Tanatosu!" As she began to draw the blade once more, it was covered in a flickering pink energy, bearing a slight resemblence to that of a fire. No longer maintaining her usual demeanor, Tabane pointed her sword at the woman in front of her. "Now then, let me see just how you plan on finishing me" Myst laughed and shook her head. "You won't see a thing, except for a big bloody energy blast." she said, firing a Kyūketsuki Ga Satsuei 'and following it with a Hoshi for good measure. ''This just got way too interesting. Not many people are crazy enough to stand back up and try again like her. Maintaining the same mundane and empty look upon her face, Tabane looked unfazed as she raised her blade before a large sphere with a pale white coloration appeared in front of her and took the brunt of the attack. "Mercury." She muttered softly in an almost ghastly voice. Striking the spherical object with her blade, a large torrent of water began rushing from it and through the area, slowly surrounding Myst. Myst looked around at the water, aware it was liable to be painful if it collapsed inward. As she watched closely, she felt the all-too common feeling that her favorite outfit was going to be ruined, again. Rather than acknowledge the feeling, she prepared too defend herself by using Uchuu when the water began to assail her. Rotating the blade in her hand, Tabane began to direct the large store of water to crash down on her opponent, in an attempt to drown the woman before the battle began to pick up its pace again. "Uchuu!" Myst yelled, creating a rectangular prisim shaped box around herself, protecting herself from the attack of water and floated above the water. Once she was in the clear, the box faded away. "And there goes my shirt. You're dead girl." she said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, slightly masked with frustration. "Oh?" Tabane slightly raised an eyebow before giving a slight nod. "Maybe you should pay more attention to your surroundings." She directed her blade to show Myst that they were both surrounded by ten large spherical objects. "If you aren't careful. I'll crush you to death!" Myst gazed at the spheres quickly before returning her focus to the one who could control them. She mentally yelled at herself for not striking with her strongest attacks while she had the upper hand, a habit of hers from years of being used to playing with her food before eating, or in their case, drinking it. Just gotta time my motions, and unless those things move at the speed of light, I should be able to do just that. Positioning herself directly in front of Myst, Tabane steadied her blade as she awaited the revolution of the various spheres to come to where they needed to be. "......" "Woah. You really mean to kill don't ya? Please don't kill me...Wait, am I really grovelling for my life? I'm the blasted queen of all blood-sucking nightmares." Myst said. Holy irony...is this what it's like to be between life and death at the mercy of another? Everyone I've fed on had to have felt the same...nevermind the fact their all criminals. Charging full speed at Myst, Tabane struck a red sphere that came beside her. "Mars." A soon as the blade connected, a large torrent of fire came spewing forth from it before wrapping around both combatants. "I will burn you here and now woman. It is about time you realized that I will protect my allies no matter what. If you get in my way, you are no different than the dirt beneath my boots." "WAIT!" Myst screamed, painic clear in her voice. "Van and the rest of his family are my allies. They ASKED me to turn them. Now, we need to work together." She was beyond the state of panic, a total fear now gripping her. Ever since her transformation into a Reikon Kyuuban, she started getting cocky, usually having the advantage over her prey, but this, this was new. "Oh? They 'asked' you? Why do I not believe that?" Tabane spoke with a clear robotic tone in her voice. "Is this the plea of a woman begging for her life? What happened to teaching me a lesson? Did all of that arrogance just up and vanish? Van would not keep the company of someone so weak." Tabane's smile became twisted as she began to clutch her face and laugh maniacally. Myst decided to tell the whole truth. "I'm not kidding. How else would I be able to tell you about their powers so well? I know how to overcome each one, except Kujo's, his is a bit above beating easily. But besides that...about teaching you a lesson, I just got cocky. It's been quite a while since a plain Shinigami crossed my path and escaped my fangs, so of course I thought I could win. How can I prove I'm right? C'mon ask me anything that can be done to verify this." she said, the initial fear somehow gone as her opponent basically had what looked to be a mental breakdown. "Oh? Well..." Tabane clinched her zanpakuto as she began charging toward Myst before her eyes glazed over and she slowly came to a walking pace in front of her opponent. "Hm? What's going on?" As she spoke, Tabane's zanpakuto began to seal itself. "The last thing I remember is being amazed by your abilities. Did we do something else after that? DId you take advantage of me and my kindness? GASP! Don't tell me that you had your way with me!?" "What?! No! I just had to fight to keep myself alive. You almost killed me, key word; Almost." Myst said, laughing. "Besides, your the one who ruined my clothes." she added sarcasticly. "Really? Well...I suppose that we will just have to fine you new clothes then." Tabane smiled as she slowly began taking off her own clothes to give hem to Myst. "This is what you wanted right?" Myst turned various shades of red. "Not...quite, but thanks for the kind gesture. I got a few outfits back at my place. It's fine, really. But thanks a lot for the thought." "Oh ok. Well if you're leaving I suppose I should escort you out of town, its the least I can do. Well that is, unless you have something else to do here." Tabane said as she re-dressed herself. "Still need to talk to...hold on." Myst said as her phone began ringing. "Yes? Hayashi? Oh, ok. I'll see you when I get there." she hung up and turned to Tabane. "I still need to see Van. Something big just happened. The kid called, saying someone else really needs to see him as well." "Oh? Then let's go to Doggy-chan's house!" Tabane exclaimed as she began pulling Myst along half undressed. Myst followed behind, wondering what she meant by "Doggy-chan" but felt like she'd find out soon enough. Meeting of Old Friends....or The Start of a War? Arriving at Van's home at the center of Hama Town, Tabane was still fixing her outfit as her top was nearly completely shredded and she was revealing most of her body to the town as her and Myst made her way through the streets. "I don't know what their problem is. Its not like I was groping myself or anything. Geez! People can be so rude with their leering and undressing me with their eyes." Tabane sighed before knocking at the large estate's door. "Hope Doggy-Chan is up." "Don't worry too much. It CAN be worse, you know that? And since when did Van have a place like ths? It's huge." Myst exclaimed excitedly. "Worse?" Tabane started to tear up a bit as she looked at Myst. "Are you saying that I'm hideous?" She would've began to cry further if not for the sudden opening of the door. Yawning, a blonde haired man appeared on the inside. "You know I can hear you both from all the way inside. What's with all the rack--BWHAT!? TABANE! Get dressed and get inside now! You know better than to go prancing around half-naked." Sighing Van cocked an eyebrow as he looked over at the woman he knew he recognized but couldn't quite place it. "Hmm...have we met before? My memory is a bit hazy. I know I have seen you before, but I just don't know...." Myst's jaw went slack. "You forgot me? Well, it's been ages...I'm Myst, you great baffoon! Ice-Man's sister. I know, me being here's a great surprise, but I have a favor to ask. But before we get there, what's with the nickname Doggy-chan?" "Myst!?" Van's eyes nearly popped out of his skull as he looked her over. "Maybe its because I haven't seen you in some time but you look GREAT!" Simultaneously, three distinct voices could be heard screaming "EXCUSE ME!?" Anna and Miya walked out of the home behind Van cracking their knuckles causing Van to nearly freeze up. "What was that I just heard you say Van?" Anna spoke with a mocking yet angered tone in her voice. Chiming in, Miya smiled as she grabbed Van lovingly around the neck, but with enough force to cause him to think if she were actually about to kill him. "Oh Van dear. Don't tell me that we need to kill this random hussie then kill you as well now. I would REALLY hate to do that to the man fate has brought me to be with for the rest of my life." Myst shook her head, nervously laughing. "Sheesh, I turn my back for nineteen years...you get yourself screwed over by THREE girls. You're a sucker, you know that? A really big sucker. No wonder I turned you first...kinda melloed you out just a tad, didn't it?" Sahking Tabane and Miya's clutches off of his body, Van smiled at Myst. "You know....it isn't always this bad. Its actually quite entertaining at times. Except when they all want to sleep in the same room." Van chuckled as the last of his sentence came out in a whisper. "So how have you been? What brings you to my humble home?" "Well, I wish the kid were here. He called me and said he met up with someone else who needs you too. He can explain it better, but anyway. Reason I dropped in, this kid who claims to be my nephew from an alternate time seems to think that he wrecked the time-space continum and to make matters worse, says the only way to fix that is to find the Akashic Records. Yeah, God's library, as in the thing that holds all the info in the cosmos. Once he gets his hands on that, he can right the wrongs. And it's worse still. The Records are somewhere in the Seireitei." "Oh?" Van slowly started to smirk. "So we're breaking into Soul Society? Hah! Seems like an everyday thing for me these days. But one thing....what's so special about this book? Anyone an right the wrongs if they try hard enough." Laughing Van shrugged. "No matter, what's this about a kid? What kid?" It was at that moment Hayashi decided to barge in. However, he was in his original, nineteen year old body. "She's talking about me. And no, it's not that easy. I don't exist in this timeline. My world is probably about to collapse under the weight of the unspeakable things that my father'd be doing over there. But that's not our only problem. You see---" he began, before he was cut off by a young woman walking in behind him. And behind her was a man in red, carrying a little girl with black wings. The woman started. "Let me guess. You don't recognize me either, do you?" she asked, smiling rather calmly. That caused the already annoyed Hayashi to turn around and yell. "Shut up for ten seconds. Just cause you're my biological mother doesn't mean I have time to have you and Van catch up. You could be dead in the other time line. Hell, the two of them," he gestured over to the man and the girl, "are dead already. In fact. Aunt Myst and Van are the only two who, at this time, would be strong enough to even think of fighting That God-wannabe." He then turned back to Van. "Get me in to the Seireitei if you value your family and friends. I can't tell how long it'll be before the paradox effect ends and both timelines are eradicated...and not even I could undo that, even with my full powers the way they once were." Smacking the rude teen in the back of his skull, Van sighed as he walked past him and looked at the woman with him. "I would never forget you Miss Loran. Too bad you have this worried brat with you." Turning to look back at him, he smiled. "SO why aren't you eliminated yet? Time is nothing to mess with, you say its drastic yet you already have an entourage. Why didn't you just break into the Soul Society yourself and explain the situation? I'm sure they would understand. Heh." Hayashi rubbed his aching head. "I caused this. I'll be the last to die. Now, unless Atsuya still works there, I'm not gonna know anybody. They'll attack on sight, unless I know one of the captains. That's why I'll just break my way straight to the Records. I should have read them the last time and worded my final attack in such a way that this was avoided, but it's too late now." he smirked the familer smirk that he copied from his father. "Only way to stop the collapse otherwise, I need to speed up my death. I miscalculated the amount to days left till the temporal implosion....my Essentiam won't kill me fast enough. Loran sighed. "If left unchecked or some kid has to die, we're all gonna dead. What a way to spend getting my daughter and husband back" The man grumbled something about having to prepare but quickly stopped before he revealed too much. "Hmm...breaking into the front gate? Or covert? Either way, I think I have a solution for your crisis. I will get you there, but THAT"S ALL I will be doing to assist this. I think its time I pass on the reigns to the future. And besides..." Van turned to look at Loran and grabbed at his sword. "I need to speak to someone in private." Tabane looked at Van and giggled. "Oh? Is it getting to be that time then? I suppose it had to come to this after all." Smiling, Van waved her off as he whistled. "Rui! Haruki! Yukiko! I need a favor from you three, get down from the roof where I know you three have been listening." Watching as the three youths jumped down and bumble about clumsily, Van sighed. "And here's who will be assisting you with this mission....Good luck. Heh." Hayashi laughed a bit. "Are these three actually able to fight, or are they just gonna hold us back?" he asked, slightly annoyed. His timer was ticking down with every passing second and he figured that, at best, he had a few months left, but the whole world possible only had a manner of days. Loran walked forward. "Sorry to interrupt, but Van, I need to tell you something when we ditch the kids." Taking Loran aside, Van waved the three youths to introduce themselves while he took his friend off to talk. Loran and Van "Hm what is it?" Van asked with a smile on his face as the two stood on top of a hill that was located near the home. Loran cleared her throat. "First, I need to apologize. Years ago, you were told that the man who I lived with is Shade Kagekyo. I know it's hard to believe, but the guy in the red armor is the actual Shade. The one you know is nothing more than a Reigai created by my father, Kyoufu. Ice-Man was to serve as little more than a blank slate, that perhaps could be written to act like the original. I learned too late that my assumtion just may have well doomed us all." she said, a worried look on her face. "Wait a sec. You're telling me that the Ice Man that I know is nothing but a fake? Hm. Well as far as I'm concerned he's my real friend. Even if he were put here as a farce, I'm not gonna go and get rid of him now. This "original" doesn't know anything about me. Give me one good reason why I should trust him over the other Shade." Van sighed as he pulled out his pipe and awaited an answer from Loran. "Allow me to name a organization that I'm sure you're aware of. Does the name Jūsanseiza ring any bells? If so, then this shouldn't be too much of a shock. My father is their lead scientist." Loran replied, glancing at Van. "Since when did you smoke?" Remembering his discovery of his half brother Toru Satonaka and his two fights with the man known as Miyata, Van smiled. "Oh I've heard of them all right. I've also had a few scrapes with this liquid weilding bastard. So there is a lab guy behind it all huh? and to top it off he is capable of making Reigai's? Now this has gotten interesting. Oh and to answer your last questiom, I don't smoke. I just like the way it makes me look. Cool huh?" Van flashed his trademarked grin as pretended to take a puff from the pipe. "Very cool. But anyway, back to our topic. My father's possibly reprogaming him to turn against us all. You'll most likely be his first target. I know it seems unfair to ask, especially since you are his friend, but if he came at you, could you kill him?" Pausing as he thought back over their time together, Van developed a cold, stern look on his face. "Kill him? I suppose I could if it came down to it. If he were to endanger my loved ones I don't think I would have much of a choice in the matter." "I'm sorry to put you in this position, but there's not many I can turn to. You, your brother and Margin are the only three who could stop him. And with the latter two no longer among us, who else can fight him?" Loran asked. "Kill him? Heh. If he's up to no good and Miss Loran is asking, then I'll definitely be able to teach him a lesson or two. And besides, its not like I fear anyone anymore. Me and my dust techniques can beat pretty much anyone nowadays. Heh." Van smirked as he clenched his fist, hiding his pain at the thought of killing a friend. "You're not the scardy-cat who practically begged to see Hell or become an RK anymore, that's for sure." Loran said with a smile. "However, you're hating the fact you just may have to do it. Remember, he's a Demon. He'll never permanently die. He just...takes a rest. Take solace in this. Only a being from Hell can actually end his life forever." "Only a being from Hell huh?" Van smirked a bit. "I know a certain someone that would be itching to get their hands on Shade if he learned about this." Laughing to himself, Van clenched his fist. "But until he gets his bearings back, I suppose I could smack my old pal around a bit. Finally show him hat's what. Heh." "You've got something brewing in your mind, don't you?" Loran asked, a slightly amused tone in her voice. "It's been years since I've seen you this fired up Van. I guess Ice-Man wasn't the only one looking out of a challenge. Then again, other than the time he tested you and Atsuya, he's never beat you." she said, not mentioning Kanata. The man, although she was sure he was dead, still terrified her after that day. "Oh me? Haha nothing is going on up here at all." Van said with a half-cocked smile. "But back then....I would have lost or maybe even died if Ice Man had went all out. He was holding back on account that we were fresh out of the academy. Well, technically we weren't even out of the academy. We just up and left. But you already know all that." Smiling at Loran, Van tapped his blade. "But you know, there's always been one person I wanted to face. Heh." "I've always felt the same." Loran replied, drawing her Zanpakto. "I know you've grown from the scared child who came to us, but how far have you come?" she asked, smiling. "Hahaha. Miss Loran is ready to brawl?" Van smirked as he quickly drew his blade in excitement and sped toward his friend and former mentor ready to slice her arm off. Loran spun the blade so that she held it in reverse and blocked the strike with little effort. She pushed him back quickly before jumping and turning sideways and dropping down with a spinning slash to counter. She tensed up so that as soon as Van either blocked or countered her, she would spin in the reverse direction to land the attack regardless, unless he were to block that of course. "Tch. I won't use the crystal against miss Loran." Van stumbled back to deflect the first strike aimed at his skull before being struck across the chest by the returning strike. "What in the world was that?! Hahaha. Looks like someone has been growing stronger since I've last seen them." Touching the wound on his chest, Van smiled as he readied to do battle with an old friend. "Looks like I really get to have some fun today!" Landing on her feet, Loran smiled. "Fun? Oh yeah, I'm about to make your life a dream come true." she said, running at Van. Her sword strike appeared to come from the side, but she quickly changed it to a vertical blow, rather than horizontal, a feint too simple, but that was the glory of her sword style, Chimata. Unlike it's creator, however, if Van saw her weakness, she might be defeated sooner than expected. The feint was step one of the Dance Macabre that Loran started weaving about, and the strike heading for Van's skull marked step two. When Van either blocked or countered, Loran would move to step three, and her weakness would be noticable for a breif moment. Still taking his friend lightly, Van neglected to watch her movements and was slashed yet again. "Tch. Its Miss Loran! My body won't act on instinct like it usually does." Raising his blade he smiled, I think I could defeat you if I didn't know you so well. Oh well, its time to let my battle spirit take over!" Charging forward, Van jumped up with his zanpakuto before placing his palm on the bottom of the hilt and rotating his palm, causing the blade to take on composition similar to a drill. "Take this!" Loran couldn't dodge the incoming blow, step three of Chimata, either on offense, or defense, is where she has a slightly slower movement at the start due to being unable to take all the data that it requires and make meaningful sense out of it in time. The tip of Van's Zanpakto came down on her shoulder, the spining nature of it adding penetrating power. Taking her own Zanpakto, she stabed at the spiraling blade, in the hopes of dislodging it and putting Van off balance. However, it had an effect she didn't see coming, pushing the sword that afflicted her, and added to the damage. "Well, I took it." she joked, placing her hand over the wound, feeling the blood for the first time. "Heh. But you managed to dodge the full brunt of the attack." Van smiled as he looked at his old friend. "Looks like you have been doing someone extensive training since we last saw each other. What kind of swordplay is this that you are using? I haven't seen it before." Van looked on inquistively as if he were studying the movements taking place. "It's a unique style, called Chimata. I'm one of only two people who can use it. The other being is a creation of my father's. It's hard to learn, and harder to teach, because there is no form set in stone. It's a dance of sorts, alternating offense and defense in quick succession. You have to take your "partner's" steps into account or you'll fail, and possibly die." Loran said, likewise smiling. "Hm? Looks like I'm gonna have to learn that style from you. I like it. Though I must first find a way to defeat it first." Smiling, Van flipped his sword and held it in reverse as he charged at Loran and thrusted his sword to pierce her belly turning his blade back so that its point was aimed toward her in the process. "Sorry, but I have to skewer you in order to defeat this dance." Loran brought her sword down and blocked Van's strike. "Well, how about this, you beat me, and I'll teach you the trick?" she asked while pushing his sword away. "Oh? Adding more to my arsenal? I suppose I just can't lose to you then now can I?" Van smirked as he charged in again, bringing his sword down over his head, making himself into a living buzzsaw. "And I can't let you win." Loran replied as Van's sword neared her head before she Shunpo'ed behind him. She closed the gap and aimed the hilt of her sword at his neck, infusing it with her spiritual energy to send him flying on contact. Forming a crystal shield, Van stopped suddenly remembering he siad it wouldn't use it against Loran, allowing the attack to connect with his spinal cord sending him reeling to the ground in pain. "Tch." Spitting out some blood, Van stood back up. "Is that all you got? My turn then." Opening a rift at his side, he sliced through it before another opened in front of Loran, releasing a blade that aimed to slice her in two. Loran froze in place, no where to run. So this is his famous rift power. I'll have to be careful. "Spark, '''Seitikina." she said, the sudden release of her Zanpakto creating a magnetic field that stopped Van's sword. Lightning generated from the gauntlets Seitikina struck the ground and created magnetic sand. "I saw that crystal a second ago. Why did you not use it to defend yourself?" Looking on in awe at Loran's release, Van smiled. "Heh. Its only cause I've become too reliant on it. I'm trying to go back to my roots when fighting an opponent. Its times like these when I see my own faults. Oh well. No time to feel sorry for myself. Gotta figure out a way around you and that magnetism of yours. Let's test some ideas..." Charging forward, Van fell towards the ground before using the resulting speed from the fall to then propel himself forward at tremendous speeds, aiming to cut through Loran's torso. Loran watched Van, admiring his creativity. He sped himself up to try and cut her. That earned some points, but, she was in this to prove herself to him, not the other way around. Manipulating her iron sand to the fullest, she created a stairway that she used to climb over Van, dodging the strike. "You had your back turned and didn't see the sand, am I right?" "Tch..." Not wanting to admit to his folly, Van scoffed. "No, no. I saw it. I just....decided to ignore it and try to bypass your usage of it. Yea...that makes the most sense...maybe." Clearing his throat, Van turned back to face Loran. "Now then, let's see...iron sand and magnetism? I guess I have to think outside the box." Opening another rift, Van jumped through it before appearing from another that formed on the ground a few feet to the left of Loran. "Here I come!" Jumping up suddenly, Van brought his blade down in an attempt to slice through the magnetic field. Van's slice cut the field perfectly, forcing Loran to try and use one of her gauntlets to block the attack. Her stance faltered for a moment, allowing the strike to slightly cut the uppermost part of her chest before she was able to force Van back. "Gasu Hou!" At her command, a vast number of iron sand 'bullets' rose from the collective mass. Each carried a magnetic charge, which was perfect for her next plan. Van had made a mistake by getting so close, one he was about to pay for. He had been charged magnetically as well, making the bullets home in on him as they were fired.'' '' Moving to fast to perform a sudden stop, Van fell directly into the bullets of iron sand causing them to rapidly tear away at his body. While none of the bullets proved fatal, the resulting injuries that he reeived caused him to drop to the ground with blood coming from various parts of his body. "Tch. Alright.....this time you got me." Using his zanpakuto to stand, Van smiled as he slung his blood all around them. "Shall we continue?" "Gee, you took a pounding a second ago. Then again, you took worse from Ice-Man all those years ago. Come at me once you're ready." Loran said, keeping an eye on Van. She took a moment to remember to days long by when she first met Van, the boy had shown so much promising talent, and after training, it appeared that her faith in him wasn't misplaced. The Others Speaking up first, the red haired teen smiled. "My name is Haruki Haruki Satonaka. This here is Rui and Yukiko Matsukaze. They're the Substitute Shinigami for Hama Town. But given your circumstances, chances are that you're more that aware of that already." Hayashi smiled. "Yeah. I remember you Haruki. The other two, sorry to say, I never made their aquantence in my time. I assume you know that thanks to my mistakes, the whole universe is at stake?" "Never made me acquaintance? Does that mean that we die off early?" Rui asked inquistively. "Tch. Looks like I need to get stronger in order to overcome any weaknesses I may have." Patting his friend on the back, Haruki smiled. "Don't worry. Maybe you just escaped from whatever it was killed that murdered many others. I doubt you're not powerful enough to stand up to any foe, but it was probably some sort of trap they had layed out." "Trust me, if you think that weakness had anything to do with dying in that time, you're sadly mistaken. The man who I had to kill back then, was beyond mortal reckoning. Rui, even if you DID end up dead, you shouldn't feel ashamed." Hayashi commented. "Now, any questions that you may have about what's going on?" Speaking in unison, Haruki and Yukiko piped up. "Who is this man? Is he strong?" Looking at each other they blushed before Yukiko continued "So I'm guessing this man is winning the war in your time if he is capable of causing you to come back and want to change things right?" "Alright, one at a time. Yes, right now, you could say he's winning. But, here's the kicker. He's my father. Now, before you think I'm not being honest with you, let me explain the whole thing. Nineteen years before I was born, my father comitted a grave crime. He sold his best friends for power. He then created my soul and impregnated my mother with the soul. Because of that, I became the only living person who could face him and hope to survive. He made me his failsafe in other words. But as I grew up, I didn't know who he was. But I digress. About three weeks ago, I used a power that was beyond reasoning. I removed my father becoming that powerful from the timeline, and yet, the very thing that led to me being is no more, and here I am. To be short in this matter, because I'm a paradoxial being now, the universe is trying to correct itself by bringing the terror that I stopped once back and when he does, all you know will cease to exist." Hayashi said, winded. "Sorry if I seemed like I was ranting." Jaws agaped, the three young shinigami were shocked at all the sudden information. "Wow, so we're supposed to help you break into the Sereitei and defeat this guy?" Haruki questioned rhetorically. "What in the world in dad thinking? This would be a much better job for Jikan or Tabane." "Heh. It means he has faith in us. Just gotta not stress about it man, take it all in stride." Rui smirked as he grabbed Haruki around the collar before looking back at Hayashi. "So...you got any fighting talents or are we gonna have to protect you the whole time?" Hayashi smirked, the same one his father had. "Thought you'd never ask." As he spoke, his left hand became a claw. From the ring on his right, he created a slew of wires that he quickly covered in the Essentiam to make chains. Standing in surprise, Rui looked over his weapon with his mouth held opened by awe alone. "W-what is that? I have never seen anything like that before! Are you seeing this Haruki!?...Haruki?" Turning to look at his friend, he stopped. Silent, Haruki's face had a grim look on it. "I've seen it before. Hayashi! Do you know of a girl named Asuka Heart? She had powers like that and I'll be the first to admit, I think I was in love with her but as we were training at the Yuengiri Academy she suddenly vanished." "Yeah I know her." Hayashi said quietly. "I went to pay respects to my Godparents, and she was there. Somehow, her power seeped into my being. The Essentiam that you see before you, she gave unto me, and the pain that comes with it as well." he explained, deactivating his power. "It's a virus, in fact, I'd call it the perfect virus. If you are infected, it'll kill you, or it can empower you, at the expense of your life every time you use it. It's unfair how she had to be it's victim, and it's all my fault!" he seemed on the verge of madness as he spoke. Seemingly ignoring everything that was said, Haruki grabbed Hayashi by the collar. "WHAT HAPPENED TO HER!?" His face was red and his voice was filled with anger and desparation. Reaching for Haruki's shoulder, Yukiko outstretched a hand, "Haruki....what has gotten into you? Hayashi was talking to us just now and now you're being awfu--" "DON'T TOUCH ME!" Haruki jerked away from Yukiko's grasp and tightened his grip around Hayashi. "Where...is...she? I want ans-" A punch came from Haruki's right knocking him to the ground. 'You smarmy bastard. Where in the hell do you think you get off talking to aanyone like that? We are your friends not your followers." Rui stood with his fist clenched as he looked down at his fallen comerade. "You have no right to get so angry. Yea we understand you miss her but attacking hayashi isn't going to bring her back. And besides, you have Akane still, so why in the hell are you freaking out?" Turning to look back at their new friend, Rui smiled "Sorry about our soap opera moment there. Ha-ha." "Both of you, back off. He has the right to hate me, for it's what I'd do if I were in his place and he in mine. Haruki, I can say that she's alive. Honestly. However, what made her accept this power, the deaths of her parents, is my fault, at least it was in my timeline. Margin Heart, the man who was my Godfather, nearly died at my hands. However, he fled before I could finish the job. Somewhere along the way, he killed Yukidomari, and more than likely even Ciel Sora, before someone did what I was too pathetic to do." Hayashi said, a strange sound in his voice. "In her grief, she merged her Zanpakto, the only thing that could freely control the Essentiam Inferno that she and I now share. Losing the three people who meant the world to her, took it's toll, and you're now looking at the man who's to blame, and taking on the Essentiam, trying to ease the pain in her, is my repentance. However, you can get in a free shot while we're here, might help your anger." Making a fist, Haruki readied himself to take a strike at Hayashi before remembering Asuka's smile and stopping himself. "She wouldn't want that." Turning to Rui, Haruki smiled at his friend with a gleam of sadness in his eyes. "As for Akane, she dumped me because she thought I was too much of a burden. But you weren't at the training camp so you wouldn't have known." Rui recoiled into his sister ho then threw him to the ground. "Maybe you should pay better attention brother. You should be able to see your friend's pain without having to have him say it to you." "I'm...sorry....I didn't know." Rui's voice was faint as he bit his lip at his own stupidity. Hayashi turned away. "Listen, anything that may have been my fault, you can blame me for. But they can wait until after we go kick so God-wanna-be ass. How's that sound?" he said, a slightly humorous chuckle following his question. "Hell yea!" The three said in unison before looking at each other with an embarrassed look across their faces. "So what's first?" Yukiko said aloud, brandishing her zanpakuto. "If we have to slay some people in our way, I'm all for it. Though I must admit, I'm a little curious as to how we will get there." Hayashi spun around again, a smile on his face. "I just realized, we have Shinigami in high places, isn't that right Haruki? Isn't Atsuya the captain of the 12th division?" "Mr. Atsuya?" Haruki arched an eyebrow. "Captain? Not at all. The last time we were in Soul Society it was some scary looking guy. But definitely wasn't Mr. Atsuya." "That's it!" Yukiko exclaimed, causing the others to turn and look at her in confusion. "Mr. Tatsumi can get us to the Soul Society! In his basement he possesses a portal to get us there and back safely, as long as we don't mess up or tick him off. Why didn't we think about that sooner? Mr. Tatsumi is the one who deals with all the science stuff in the first place so of course he would be more than capable of helping us out." "Yukiko, you are a genius. Now then, how do we explain to him that you guys are risking your lives to help me, when you have no reason to trust my words?" Hayashi asked, knowing how Atsuya was the careful one, at least from what he heard from his mother. Haruki laughed at Hayashi's words. "Convince him? That evil teacher loves sending us on death marches. Knowing him, as soon as you tell him the story he will probably try to send us even faster than usual. I don't know why, but he loves seeing us barely make it out of fights. Says something like 'You will grow stronger if pushed to the limits, but if you die...then train harder in your next life.' I swear he's something out of a horror story." "Sounds like we got a way in." Hayashi said, his infamous smirk, the same he got from his father, alight on his face. "Let's move people. Time waits for no man, and less so for a group." Smiling, Haruki led his group through the winding streets of Hama Town and to the front door of Tatsumi-Ken. "Here we are. Though there's no telling if we'll get in." Looking up at the front door of several arms holding the lock shut, Haruki sighed as he knocked on the door causing a robotic looking Atsuya to emerge from the roof and jump down. "Welcome to Tatsumi-Ken, shop of the mysteriously cool Atsuya Tatsumi. I am your guide Robo-dono. State your business or prepare to receive a series of various devices up your rears." The robot spoke in a tone that bordered on humor and seriouness as its smiled cracked and creaked. "We need to talk to your maker Robo-dono. We need to enter the Seireitei, and if we fail, the world will be at stake, for a temporal paradox threatens us, and every second we waste, we risk losing an inevitable battle." Hayashi said, masking his temper well. "ROBO-DONO DECLINES YOUR REQUESTS!!" The Robot twisted and turned as it formed its arms into an X and began to bock the gate. Taking off her hat, Yukiko smiled at the robot in her cutest fashion, batting her eyes and blowing a kiss. "Could we get in pwetty please Robo-dono? For me?" "Oh Yukiko-chan! Yes. Yes. Come inside. I suppose the others can come along of too I suppose if its for you." Moving aside, the robot opened door and watched Yukiko's 'assets' as she entered the door. Sighing, Haruki and Rui walked after her. "Bastard." Rui sneered, before the robot glared up and pulled his leg, causing Rui to fall flat on his face. Hayashi groaned. "Just like Atsuya to build a robot that thinks with the wrong CPU." he said, while his wires picked Rui up. "Everybody gets one, got it?" "Ha. Nice." Haruki chuckled as the group entered Tatsumi-Ken. "Oi!!! Mr. Tatsumi!! We have some business with you!" Turning round and round in a spinning chair, Atsuya appeared from the shadows. "Oooooooohhhhhhh!! Whhhhhoooooo'sssss thereeeeee!?" Suddenly stopping due to Yukiko's intervention, Atsuya adjusted his glasses and looked up. "Oh? What do you all need?" Sighing, Haruki shook his head as Rui was still glaring at the robot outside. "Well....we need to get to the Soul Society. Hayashi here has something that he needs to accomplish and we're going to assist him." "Well Hayashi, was it? What is it that you need to accomplish?" Atsuya smiled at the hint of something exciting. "I want to steal a very powerful artifact from the Seireitei. A book that will allow me to alter time. Or die. One of the two. Take your pick. But I think stealing the book will be more fun. Will you aid me?" Hayashi asked, both eyes fixed on Atsuya. "Hah! I like your style kid. All ready for death and such. Show them some spunk. HAHAHAHA" Spinning in his chair, Atsuya sackemd down on a button on a nearby wall, causing said wall to begin rising and reveal a spinning portal behind it. "This is a direct link to the outside of the Sereitei. I couldn't well have you land inside with all those snobs running around. But don't worry. I'm sure you'll be fine." "Atsuya. I'm the son of Ice-Man. Safe, fine, neither of those are in my list of words. I'm doing this to save you, my mom, even that shithead father of mine, but mostly to save the world. Kids, pack your bags, we're gonna destory some stuff." Hayashi said. "Besides, what fun is it if we don't have to fight a few guys on the way in?" "Aw yea! Here we go guys!" Rui said as he walked back in eyeing the large portal in front of him. "Let's kick in some faces!" Looking over to her brother, Yukiko sighed. "Oh? You're finally inside? Well...don't ruin this mission. The fate of the world is literally in our hands right now. If you screw up, I swear as soon as possible, I'll make you pay." Speaking those words, Yukiko's eyes proceeded to glow red before she then gave a loving smile. "Well then, after you Hayashi." Haruki inserted, ignoring the two of his friends. "Let's get this going. No need to worry, we should be fine." "Should be? Haruki, You've got a lot to learn my friend. As long as you guys believe in me, I'll protect you all without a second thought. Oh, and before I forget...Atsuya, when we get back, we should play Halo some time. I miss splattering your ass all over the map." Hayashi said, the last part seething with sarcasm. Before anyone could respond, he strode into the swirling portal. Voyage into the Soul Society Arriving at a wide open field, Rui and Yukiko stepped out first both looking around the area. "Yo! Haruki! This place isn't that bad. I could see myself living here for sometime." Rui smiled before beinng smacked on the head by Yukiko. Sighing away from her twin brother, Yukiko looked around as well. "Yea. That would be fine, aside from the fact that the Gotei would probably arrest you for being a Shinigami not affiliated with them. If that were to happen, I'm pretty sure Mr. Satonaka would cause a war to get one of his town's citizen's back." "That's the truth. He can help himself." Haruki chuckled as he stepped out of the transport unit and onto the grassy knoll. "Although, I'm pretty sure they would try to kill you on the spot instead of anything else, so try not to get caught. Right Hayashi?" "Haruki's right. We're marked for death because we're standing right on their doorstep. Ya know, this is the first time I've seen the Soul Society whole and intact. Last time I stood here, my father had this whole place in shambles. That city with the huge white walls over there, that's our destination. I dunno if you guys know, but that's the Seireitei, where the Shinigami live." Hayashi said, before a coughing fit came over him. I sure hope this is just the flu or something... Once he recovered, he began walking straight to the city.